Enrollment
446
Texas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Dallas, TX
Merriman Park El
Federal NCES profile for Merriman Park El, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 483702005584
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 11
📋 Attendance 73
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Merriman Park El earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools.
- #37 of 232
- schools in Dallas · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Texas
- 33.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Merriman Park El has class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. Computed live against every Texas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Merriman Park El ranks #37 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 14.7:1 Texas avg
-24% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 61.9% Texas avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Merriman Park El compares with Texas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Merriman Park El
Merriman Park El is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Dallas, Texas, enrolling 446 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Texas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 446 students, its enrollment sits close to the Texas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 8,960 scored Texas schools.
Against 775 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #197.
Its student body is led by White (54%) and African American (25%) (diversity index 63/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 446 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
11.0% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Richardson Isd also operates Lake Highlands H S (2,972 students) and Richardson H S (2,669 students) alongside Merriman Park El.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Merriman Park El compares
Merriman Park El on the metrics families compare, against Texas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Texas | Texas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.2:1 | ▼ 24% | 14.7:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 46% | 61.9% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 446 | top 58% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
446
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% below the Texas average of 61.9%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 24% below state mean
Top 17% in Texas - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
11.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,721
per pupil, district-wide
- below Texas avg of $13,644
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 446 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
17
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 53.6%
African American 24.7%
Hispanic or Latino 15.9%
Asian 3.6%
Two or More 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 53.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.5, Merriman Park El is more mixed than the Texas school average of 44.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Richardson Isd, which includes Merriman Park El.
$11,721
Per student
-14%
vs Texas
Avg $13,644
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 69.7%
State 15.3%
Federal 15.0%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Merriman Park El Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Highlands H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Richardson H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Berkner H S | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pearce H S | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forest Meadow J H | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Merriman Park El's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,972
- Students per teacher
- 13.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 2,669
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 2,350
- Students per teacher
- 12.8:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 2,317
- Students per teacher
- 14.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,211
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Texas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~446 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Merriman Park El's federal record.
- Compare Merriman Park El against another school. Compare schools
- Richardson Isd's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Merriman Park El
How many students attend Merriman Park El?
Merriman Park El has 446 students enrolled. It is a public school in Dallas, TX.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Merriman Park El?
The student-teacher ratio at Merriman Park El is 11.2:1, which is 24% lower than the Texas average of 14.7:1 and 29% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Merriman Park El?
33.4% of students at Merriman Park El are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Texas average of 61.9%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Merriman Park El?
The largest demographic group at Merriman Park El is White at 53.6% of enrollment, in Dallas, TX. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Merriman Park El?
Merriman Park El has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Merriman Park El rank among schools in Dallas?
By Resource Investment Index, Merriman Park El ranks #37 of 232 schools in Dallas, TX. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Dallas on the city page.
Is Merriman Park El a good school?
Merriman Park El earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Texas schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Richardson Isd?
Besides Merriman Park El, Richardson Isd also operates Lake Highlands H S (2,972 students), Richardson H S (2,669 students), and Berkner H S (2,350 students). See the Richardson Isd district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.